Nefarius: The Magitech Chronicles Book 6 by Chris Fox

Author:Chris Fox [Fox, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chris Fox Writes LLC
Published: 2019-03-28T04:00:00+00:00

35

Framed

Aran rolled his shoulder as he reluctantly crawled from bed. Drakkon had beaten the everliving crap out of him on the mat. Again. But for the first time Aran had actually landed a blow. That showed he was improving, right? In another century or three he might win, if Drakkon was asleep, maybe.

He rose with a grunt and tugged on his uniform. He buckled Narlifex on over it, and the blade thrummed a greeting. It talked more when spoken to, but the blade still rarely initiated a conversation.

Aran exited his quarters and headed to the mess, where there was coffee, a more vital fuel than magic at this point. Davidson was the only one there, and to Aran’s immense surprise the stoic blond officer was crying. He glanced up as Aran came in.

“You’re gonna want to see this.” Davidson wiped at an eye. He shook his head, and nodded at the image playing on his portable viewscreen. “Ternus just did a real hack job on us from a PR angle. So far as they’re concerned we’re the enemy. That means my folks are gonna get persecuted. Gave birth to a traitor and all that.”

Aran ordered his coffee from the food thingie, and moved to sit next to Davidson. “All right. Hit me with it.”

Davidson hit the reset button and the newscast started from the top. A pretty blonde reporter announced the story, with the headline Victory at Marid. She started with a smile. “We’ve just received news from Governor Austin himself that Ternus has enjoyed its first victory of the war.”

Footage of the battle for Starn played in the background, and Aran winced. He didn’t want to remember that battle. It had ended badly, for everyone involved. Draconic Krox gutted starships and slaughtered Marines.

“We discovered a nest of dragons lurking near a resort community on the planet Marid.” The smile became a concerned frown, and the reporter’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “Our sons and daughters rose to the occasion, but the magic they were up against was…well, I’ll let you judge for yourself.”

Footage from a Marine’s helmet cam played, and showed the ground erupting around them. Then they were sucked down into the swamp, and the camera went dark. The screen cut to a trio of hatchlings tearing apart a tank, and then the people inside.

Something clicked in Aran’s head. The newscast hadn’t said that these dragons were in any way affiliated with the Krox, but they’d shown some very suggestive footage first. Most viewers would assume the two were one and the same.

The camera changed again, this time to a view from orbit. The reporter shed a single emotionless tear as she spoke again, her expression all empathy. “Casualties were heavy, as they always are when dealing with supernatural monsters. This time, though, Ternus was ready. This time we had an answer to their dark sorcery.”

The camera cut to the terrifyingly familiar ships, and majestic music played as the camera slow-panned around the midnight vessels. Smiling young officers, attractive men and women every one, gazed up at the ships, their faces rich with hope.

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